1947 – United Airlines Flight 521, a Douglas DC-4, fails to get airborne at LaGuardia Airport, rips through an airport fence onto traffic on the Grand Central Parkway, and slams into an embankment, ultimately plunging into a pond and exploding; 42 die.

1972 – Death of Cleo Francis Pineau, American World War I flying ace, motorcycle racer, founder of Williamsport-Lycoming County (Pa.) Airport and businessman.

Share this:

About the author

Online Editor I've been around airplanes since I was a kid. That's when my uncle, a professional pilot, showed me how to fly his Cessna 177 Cardinal. l later became a writer and editor, so covering the exciting and ever-changing aviation industry -- which I've been doing in Flight Journal's Flybys since the late '90s -- was a natural fit.